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In today’s world branding is an essential part of any business - large or small. Everything nowadays is associated with a brand name and so to compete in these highly aggressive markets as a business owner you need to be clear about your brand and the message you would like it to send to potential clients.

Being a brand is not just about having a certain name associated with your product. It is basically about creating a certain image and a perception among customers so that every time they see your product, hear its name or come across an image associated with your brand, a specific message comes into their minds instantaneously. For example, let’s take a look at Nike.

Nike is not just a name of a sports brand. When you hear it, you immediately start to think about professional sports, sports celebrities etc. It’s not just a name, it is an entire image, a whole experience. When you see someone wearing Nike sportswear, you automatically start thinking about that person in terms of elite class and professional sportsmanship.

​Likewise, Rolex is not a just a name but it is the ultimate sign of the perfect gentleman.
As far as small businesses are concerned, branding is as important as with any large business. To make the job of creating your brand a little bit easier for all the budding entrepreneurs out there, we have listed down some basic factors that need to be kept in mind while creating a brand for your product or service.

Identify your target audience

Identifying the right target audience is the most crucial aspect of building the brand of any business. Your product will never succeed if you do not identify your potential customers.

However, being aware in broad terms of who your target audience is not enough. You need to know what age group they are, their social norms and values, where do they usually hang out, what is their annual or monthly income etc.

​All these factors will play a major role in determining who you are aiming to sell your product to and what type of images, sounds and messages they might want to associate themselves with.

Find your uniqueness

It doesn’t matter if you have a niche or a mass target market, due to a highly competitive environment you will always need that something unique to set you apart from other similar businesses.

Your brand should reflect this one basic fundamental question: Why should someone buy your product or service? What makes your brand better than the rest?

For instance, people at Coca & Cola continuously ask themselves what makes them different from and better than Pepsi. And the ability to know the answer to this particular question has made Coke very popular.

Another example is that of Apple. Since it launched its first product into the market Apple has completely revolutionised the industry. Being an Apple user is not just about using that particular brand out of need or necessity but it is about creating a certain unique experience for its users. Being an Apple user gives you that special identity and sets you apart from other users. Using Apple products is something you want to be associated with.

Define your brand

Branding is not just about giving a name to your business. Rather, building a brand is a much more complicated exercise which involves several aspects.

A brand will incorporate a name, tagline, mission statement of your business, logo and - most importantly - the message you want to send to your clients. It has to be an entire package of experience wrapped up nicely in gift packaging and handed over to the potential consumer so that they can decide for themselves if they like it or not.

​If they do - you will be able to make them develop an emotional attachment to your brand which is the key to long-term success.

Build communities around your brand

Big companies such as Apple and Google spend millions of pounds on advertisements each year. That is something small businesses cannot afford. But there is no need to worry. Small businesses can promote their products and brand by using free online marketing on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google+, Instagram and Pinterest to build online and offline communities centered around their products.

​The internet has revolutionised the way marketing and branding is done, which allows small businesses to compete with bigger brands as long as they are clear about their branding and their marketing strategy. It no longer costs you loads of money to get your message across - you just have to be clear on what that message is!

​C﻿onvey a social message

Over the past decade or so the concept of corporate social responsibility has grown very popular. Consumers have become very conscious about ‘giving back to the environment’, and small businesses which adopted that approach have been able to take on the big brands because they could prove that they are better - at least in this particular aspect.

​This goes to show how important it is for your brand to reflect a certain social message. It doesn’t have to be being environment-friendly, but you should identify a cause that your potential customers care about and try to incorporate it into your brand to make your business stand out!

Keep your promises

Due to limited resources, small businesses are more prone to fall into the trap of not delivering on their promises.

The concept is very simple - happy and satisfied customers mean successful business. And the best way to keep your customers happy and loyal to your brand is by fulfilling your promises.

If you have put on a certain deal or promised to provide a certain service make sure that you do that because otherwise your business will lose credibility which in turn will negatively affect your public image - and this can prove to be fatal for your business.

​Remember it is not only up to you, as an entrepreneur, to determine the ultimate success of your business. It’s your customers who have the power to make or break your brand. Make sure to keep them happy at all times!

Deliver value

​Last but not the least, figure out how you can give value to your customers (and potential customers) through your branding! When we think of delivering value we often associate this with our products and services, but you can really bring value through your branding alone. Think about the type of content (blog posts, articles, social media posts etc.) that your target audience might want to browse in their spare time. If you can send them something they enjoy reading or watching on a daily basis - you’re already bringing them value before they even buy your product or service. ​And if they recognise this - who do you think they will approach when they will actually need the product/service? That’s right - that’s your opportunity to develop an amazing relationship with them so that they know exactly whom to approach in the future.

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About me

Hi! My name is Karolina and I started FBIZZ to share the lessons I learned as a freelancer in business. I hope you will enjoy my tips, and if you do... don't forget to subscribe so that you can get them regularly!